Readiness & Regional Technology Center

On
Saturday, May 10, 2003, Norwich University and the Vermont National Guard
welcomed guests and dignitaries to the ribbon cutting and open house celebration
of the Vermont National Guard's new Readiness & Regional Technology
Center, located on the campus of Norwich University. Major General Martha
Rainville, Norwich University President Richard W. Schneider, U.S. Senators
Patrick Leahy and James Jeffords and Vermont Governor Jim Douglas addressed
the audience in front of the 88,000 square foot facility.

Often referred to as the "Armory of the Future", the Readiness
& Regional Technology Center is a cutting-edge, 21st Century training
and technology center, which will allow National Guard members to train
using the most current technologies available, to prepare them for their
critical role defending our nation. The opening of this one-of-a-kind
facility in Northfield marks the successful conclusion of several years
hard work and partnership between government, military and academia.

"This
is a great day for the nation," said Norwich President Richard W.
Schneider "This is the only instance I know of where a National Guard
armory is located on a college campus and what better place than the oldest
private military college in the United States and the birthplace of ROTC?"

MG Rainville also referenced the unique and important partnership between
the two groups. "What this building represents is a new beginning
for an even stronger relationship between Norwich University and the Vermont
National Guard. This center will help us to continue to prepare cadets
and junior officers for the future."

Vermont
Senators Leahy and Jeffords were instrumental in securing the funding
that made the new armory center a reality. In his remarks, Senator Leahy
commented on the center's advanced technology and its benefits, "This
will be a place where members of the Guard and the entire military are
going to train using some of the most state-of-the-art, advanced simulators
in the world this is going to strengthen the university, and it's
going to strengthen the Vermont National Guard."

The Vermont National Guard Readiness & Regional Technology Center
is the only facility of its kind in the nation. As Senator Jeffords noted,
"It gives us a glimpse of the future. This is a prototype -- an example
of what other readiness & regional technology centers will look like.
But there were no blueprints. The (Vermont) National Guard and Norwich
University are pioneers."

In
addition to the important role the center will play in preparing our military
for the battlefields of the 21st Century, it brings with it unique economic
development opportunities for Vermont. Some 30-40 people will work out
of the facility, and even more people will come to the center from across
the region and the country to participate in training exercises and courses.
The advanced technology resources housed in the center will also help
Vermonters develop skills essential to securing successful careers in
an increasingly technology-driven workplace.

"This center will prepare students and others for a higher technological
future," said Vermont Governor Jim Douglas. "It is essential
they be well trained in the highest technologies so that they have employment
opportunities that meet the needs of themselves and their families in
the years and generations to come."